US Open Tennis 2014: Schedule and Bracket Predictions for Day 4 in New York

As the 2014 U.S. Open enters its fourth day, it feels like we're still right back where we started the tournament.

All of the big names remain, and the general hierarchy still stands. It's too early for anybody new to have established themselves as favorites, while the actual favorites have done nothing to prove that they're not the top contenders to win.

Maybe that will change on Thursday, with many stars entering the second round.

At this point, it's anybody's guess as to what will happen with Andy Murray. He's still immensely talented, but between injuries and a mental block, the gulf between himself and the duo of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer has grown. How many people are seriously mentioning Murray as a favorite to win the U.S. Open?

It's no secret that Murray is struggling to close out matches. Now, he's got to worry about health issues after cramping up in his win over Robin Haase in the first round.

Clearly, Murray was uncomfortable, berating himself on numerous occasions, clutching at various parts of his cramping body and looking anything like the champion he was here only two years ago. There were times when he seemed to be channeling his slumping, woe-is-me body language circa, say, 2010.

Murray said he had never felt that bad on a tennis court -- after going 90 minutes without any problems.

'It was unexpected, and that made it difficult mentally to deal with,' Murray said. 'But, yeah, I'm happy to get through. I could have very easily lost that match.'

Perhaps I'm giving too much credit to Murray, but he should regain something close to his old form on Thursday. Matthias Bachinger is ranked 235th in the world, and at some point, Murray should come to the realization that he's one of the best players on the planet.

Expect this match to be similar to Federer's win over Marinko Matosevic in the first round. Federer hardly broke a sweat, and despite some competitive games, he never looked like he was headed for an upset.

Murray will beat Bachinger in straight sets, but he'll have a few frustrating moments.

Murray wins, 6-4, 7-5, 6-2

Jan-Lennard Struff vs. John Isner (13)

Elsa/Getty Images

John Isner is American tennis' best hope to have a male win the U.S. Open. Andy Roddick in 2003 was the last American to win a men's singles title in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

In total, only three American men remain alive at the tournament, which is the lowest total ever in the second round, per Josh Meiseles of ATPWorldTour.com:

It's also a sad state of affairs that U.S. fans are pinning their hopes on somebody who's never advanced past the quarterfinal of any Grand Slam tournament, and that came three years ago.

Isner is a good player, but he always runs into trouble when somebody either neutralizes his massive serve or fights fire with fire and boasts a massive serve as well.

The good news for Isner and U.S. tennis is that Jan-Lennard Struff shouldn't pose much of a threat on Thursday. Here's a brief comparison of how well the two serve and return serve.

Aces

Double Faults

1st Serve

1st Serve Pts. Won

1st Serve Return Pts.

Isner

772

86

68%

79%

24%

Struff

118

51

58%

72%

27%

ATPWorldTour.com

Isner seems to love tiebreakers, so expect at least one in this match. Struff picking up a set isn't out of the question, either, but the 29-year-old should come up victorious in the end.

Isner wins, 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-3, 6-4

CiCi Bellis vs. Zarina Diyas

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

How much longer can the magic of CiCi Bellis continue?

Bellis' upset of 12th-seeded Dominika Cibulkova will be one of the biggest surprises of the tournament. At 15 years old, she's the youngest American to win at the U.S. Open in nearly three decades, per Numbers Never Lie:

With that win has come an extraordinary amount of attention for the teenager, certainly more attention than she's ever felt during her brief professional tennis career. Now all of a sudden, Bellis is a star with expectations.

She seems like an anachronism, like one of those kids from decades ago who used to come from nowhere and take on the older women without blinking. There used to be a boatload of those, from Tracy Austin to Martina Hingis. Then the top women grew more powerful, the rackets bigger and the game much faster. The last teenager this young to win a match at the Open was Anna Kournikova in 1996, which is a cautionary tale in itself.

But Bellis said on Thursday that she was ready for this next match, and that she was reveling in the occasion. She practiced in the morning, before the gates opened at the center, and would hit again later off the grounds. Two practice sessions, after a three-set match the evening before.

Zarina Diyas won't roll over and be the next stage in the Bellis underdog narrative. She's the 48th-ranked women's player in the world. Diyas also won't be surprised in the way that Cibulkova was in the first round.

As great as it would be for Bellis to continue her run, Diyas should pick up the win.